Punk 57

It started so good but the book is broken up by the introduction of smut. The plot and characters become so bad once the author is focused on getting the readers attention with smut.

3D characters turned into cardboard characters that have sex and suddenly the plot doesn't exist anymore.
It's a cop out in some books and this might be one of them.

I've read a Penelope Douglas book before and it was great which is why I picked up this book but I won't do it again after this.

1 star book but rated it 2 stars because I can't deny that the start of the book didn't slap

if you ignore the smut like i did, this isn't a terrible book

high school sucks, and there are certainly some exaggerations in here, but that doesn't mean there isn't a good story rooted in this book, which honestly shocked me a little. i finally got that thing that i've been waiting for in a romance novel — individual character development and plots somewhat unrelated to love plot. some of it was really twisted and i really hate the main relationship that this book is focused around, but observing these two going through some real life-changing realizations was cool and what i've been looking for.

that being said, yeah, still only three stars. are we all going to ignore how crappy he treated her for 60% of the book? are we really going to gloss over that just because he outgrew his angst so that he could be with her? if y'alls romanticizing this and thinking you want your relationship to be like this, you're in my prayers.

Re-Read: August 2021
I have the same thoughts as before but I kept constantly thinking about this book everyday so I raised my rating to a full 5 stars even tho I know it has problems

First Read: June 2021
I loved the themes in this book so much and I think the writing, pacing, and just everything about this book was executed perfectly. The reason it isn't a full 5 stars for me is that I personally didn't have a super-strong attachment to the characters but I still really liked them. This book definitely had some toxic moments so if you don't like any toxicity in your romances, I wouldn't recommend this one, but I love a good sprinkle of toxic lol.

This was a really nice and quick read, I finished it in 2 days. I loved the idea of Misha and Ryen going from childhood friends to something more, even though their journey was a rough and bumpy one.
At first I didn't like Ryen at all. She was mean, she was that typical “popular cheerleader” girl, but she was faking it in order to fit in with the other mean kids at her school. I was so glad that she realized how wrong she was and that she woke up from that nightmare.

Can I have me A Misha... I want one gimmie gimmie gimmie. Ok I hated trey with a passion like get beat up punch him in the face then BAM MISHA PUNCHED HIM I LIKED IT. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT...THE SEX SCENES OH MY NUGGETS THAT SHIT WAS GOOODDD ASF YALL LIKE AHHHHHH. OK OK OK MY HEART WAS BEATING EVERY SECOND IN THIS BOOK LIKE TELL HER YOUR HIM.... OK IM DONE WITH THIS BUT THEY ARE HAVING A BABY WHICH IS A BOY YAY HAPPY ENDING!!!!

This was a different read from Penelope Douglas than I am used to reading from her. However, I enjoyed that this one was less dark. The character development was good, the storyline was very interesting, and no unnecessary drama in the third act. I particularly enjoyed that Ryen and Misha has this beautiful history of being pen pals. It was fun and different.

this was my first Penelope Douglas book and safe to say, it was shit. The plot was just as horrible as the characters. What was worst that the only reason misha changed his name and became such an asshole was because he wanted to get the watch back. Other than that, he is such a jerk to the fmc and she still chooses to be with him is what pissed me off. He was downright mean, like really really mean. This is not dark romance, this is toxicity.

In most cases, I dislike reading books set in high schools. It's something about the way teenagers interact in books. But I thought the writing was well done. I liked that it had a soundtrack to go with the book. The main message is to accept yourself and that it's important to find real friends rather than being popular.

The relationship between Ryen and Misha was a little confusing. They're hot and cold very often. Although, I really liked the whole pen-pal thing they had going on. The antagonists were awful and spiteful- but it's not all too surprising seeing that high school students can be quite ruthless.

Note: it's a 3 star because I didn't enjoy the swearing. It was just too much for me at times. But to be fair, I'm a fairly soft-hearted person. You may not mind it as much.

Este libro es mi definición de decepción absoluta. Estaba con un hype por tik tok y luego sale está vaina toda rara. Empezando por su falta de coherencia en muchas cosas, huecos de trama y los protagonistas todos insufribles, porque resulta que no solo sus nombres son detergentes sino ellos también, porque que nombres son esos.
Luego, que necesidad de hacer gay al mejor amigo y al gótico? Que necesidad?!!
Una decepción de libro la verdad.